BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASEWind River/Bighorn Basin District

Release Date:
03/12/13

Contacts:

Peggy Truman

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307-347-5212

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BLM Reminds Snow Machines to Stay on Roads

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officials want to remind snow machine owners to stay on existing roads.

Snow machine tracks.

"We define snow machines as motorized vehicles and manage them in the same way as all of the motorized vehicle travel on any BLM-administered public lands. All motorized use is limited to established routes on the BLM unless otherwise posted,” said BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner Paul Rau.

“There is normally not enough snow to provide adequate ground cover for machines to operate above the vegetation and soils or off road. There is also not enough snow coverage for machines to travel over sagebrush and other vegetation. The machines are causing damage to these plants when traveling off roads or designated areas,” Rau explained.

“Good snow pack on public lands within the Wind River/Bighorn Basin District just isn’t available. Off-road use, such as snow machining, may damage those resources we manage to sustain which are especially fragile this time of year,” he added.

Deer, elk, and sage-grouse rely on this vegetation for habitat throughout the year. These areas are also vital this time of year for big game winter habitat. Animals are at a low point for energy reserves and disturbance by snow machines can affect these animals.

“I recently saw, while out patrolling, several examples of where people had taken snowmobiles and driven across country on BLM. Under the BLM regulations snow machines are restricted to either designated routes or existing routes,” said BLM Law Enforcement Ranger Aaron Kania.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.